Conventionally, an automatic opening and closing apparatus provided in a vehicle such as automotive vehicle includes: an opening and closing body which opens and closes an opening portion; an electric motor which drives the opening and closing body; and an operation switch which turns the electric motor ON/OFF. With the operation switch operated by an operator, the electric motor is driven, thereby causing the opening and closing body to be moved in a closing direction or an opening direction.
In the automatic opening and closing apparatus, the opening and closing body is also driven on the basis of conditions other than the operation of the operation switch. For example, the automatic opening and closing apparatus includes: a touch sensor unit which detects that a blockage is interposed between the opening portion and the opening and closing body. The touch sensor unit is fixed to the opening portion or the opening and closing body. The touch sensor unit includes a cable sensor. When a blockage makes contact with this cable sensor, a controller of the automatic opening and closing apparatus recognizes the contact of the blockage, and controls the electric motor irrespective of the operation of the operation switch. Specifically, the controller performs a control to cause the opening and closing body moving in the closing direction to be moved in the opening direction or to be halted on the spot.
One example of the touch sensor unit for this automatic opening and closing apparatus is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2010-272277 (FIG. 4). FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing the structure of the touch sensor unit of the related art. A touch sensor unit “a” includes: a cable sensor “b” including a plurality of electrodes (not shown) which are caused to electrically make contact with one another by application of an external force; and a sensor holder “c” which holds the cable sensor “b”. The sensor holder “c” is formed of flexible insulating rubber material or the like, and has: a fixing portion “e” for fixing the cable sensor “b” to a door mount stay “d”. The fixing portion “e” has a section formed into a U-shape, and a core rod “f” is buried (inserted) in the fixing portion “e”, thereby ensuring fixing stiffness of the touch sensor unit “a” with respect to the mount stay “d”. Also, the cable sensor “b” is held by a sensor holding portion “g” in the vicinity of the core rod “f” on a front side (upper side in FIG. 9) of the vehicle body.